Game Review: Dawn of Mana (PS2)

Dawn of Mana, the fourth entry into the beloved "Of Mana" series, is a …

Unlike the Final Fantasy series and the Chrono series, the success of follow-ups to the Mana series has been mixed. While the original SNES game was critically acclaimed and maintains a devout fan base, the title has yet to see a sequel able to emulate the success of the original. There have been a few good attempts—the PlayStation's Legend of Mana, for one—but none have really been able to capture the spirit and offer the enjoyment of Secret of Mana.

In that regard, Dawn of Mana—one of Square-Enix's last big PS2 games—is really no exception. While the graphical style, combat and general flow of play may feel familiar, the sum of the parts is unfortunately not equal to the original's whole. That's not to say that Dawn is a bad game, but for fans that have been waiting for a proper sequel, this fourth installment in the canon of the series isn't the answer to their prayers. There's a good game to be enjoyed here, but it's hardly a revolutionary or unrivaled affair.

Dawn marks a first in the series lineage, as the game has been realized completely in 3D. Despite the added dimension, though, the game remains true to the older 2D titles in every regard: the battle system relies on fairly simple button mashing, the story is straightforward, and the art and style is outstanding. If you were to take the Disney out of Kingdom Hearts, you'd essentially wind up with the gameplay framework for Dawn of Mana.

However, it's apparent that some aspects of the game simply don't work all that well in 3D. The Mana series is particularly well known for the action-heavy fights with multiple creatures and huge battles with screen-filling bosses. Sadly, the game's camera simply cannot cope with the amount of action going on. The lock-on feature is handy, but ultimately the closed-in environments and battle-heavy action result in a camera that is impossible to tame most of the time, swinging with a wild abandon without a moment's notice. This issue, combined with the general lack of healing items at times, can lead to varying levels of difficulty that may prove frustrating.

If you can get past the camera issues, though, you find that Dawn offers an action-RPG experience with a few neat twists that spruce up the action. One such twist is the implemented "Havok" physics engine, which leads to some fairly interesting puzzles and gameplay opportunities. For one, you're able to cause enemies to "panic" by bouncing, rolling or pushing objects into them—barrels, rocks, trees and so forth. Defeating a monster in a state of panic yields extra items, so you'll often find yourself using whatever you can find in the environment to push around. This adds a nice variation to the otherwise simple battle system, and keeps things interesting throughout the course of the game.

Though the gameplay has some issues, the presentation maintains Square-Enix's typical quality. This is a beautiful game, in every regard. The graphics are phenomenal: technically demonstrating the power of the system while maintaining the series' trademark style. Likewise, the orchestral score courtesy of Grammy and Academy Award winner Ryuichi Sakamoto and Kenji Ito is nothing short of spectacular: Dawn easily features some of the best music the series has seen thus far. The voice acting is the expected low point, but the score is so strong that I didn't even notice.

Square-Enix has done just about all it can do with the PS2, and thus Dawnof Mana acts as one final ode to the system. Dawn of Mana is a good game that offers a compelling adventure with an outstanding presentation. The gameplay system has a few issues—most notably with the camera—but the general action and implementation of physics-based mechanics leads to more than a few intense battle moments. If you really enjoy the title, there's a grading system for each chapter that allows you to strive for the best grade possible on multiple run-throughs, but for the rest of us, a rental should suffice.